REVIEW: Jelly Vampire

XXX-Mas is just around the corner and – wait, which article is this? Oh, I thought “Jelly Vampire”“ was something else. It“s not that one thing that two consenting jars of jelly do when they – no? Okay, well, nevertheless, I“m going to tell you about a wonderful book called “Jelly Vampire”“ that is a perfect One-X-Mas gift for all your funky family members and friends!

As the brains behind the magic, Ida Neverdahl presents us with Lulu Lulusen, a dark-haired girl of undetermined age who goes on the most fabulous of adventures. It sounds cute, and it is, but Ida“s dark humor is a strong as her creativity so don“t let the beautiful colors and promises of many-o-unicorn fool you. The book does have a certain webcomic feel, and the length of the comics go from a one page short to a longer story consisting of several pages, but none of this is necessarily bad. The format works quite well for a collected edition, and going from dreamy to grim-with-a-grin never gets boring.

So the subject matter is a fabulously surreal punch in the noggin, and the artwork is a perfect match. The illustrations are bubbly and colorful, and never take themselves too seriously. Jelly Vampire is a book that lives to have fun, and an art style any different would take away from such a fresh piece of work. The art is silly without being stupid, and clever without being snobbish, and where else can you see what truly lies inside a unicorn“s stomach or follow the story of a plastic surgery fairy, which is exactly what it sounds like. If for some crazy reason the subject matter doesn“t keep you interested, the beautiful artwork will have you glued instantly. It“s like a cosmic dream that“s crisp but not too rigid, which is important if we“re going to be bouncing around in Ida“s brilliant brain.

This is not a book for everyone, that much is clear. But then again, not everyone wants to be awesome and simply cannot handle such a hodge-podge of mystery and melancholy adventure. The juxtaposition of candy store colors and underlying mature themes is such a gorgeous match of “Please sir, I“d like some more”“ that Jelly Unicorn needs to be shouted from the rooftops! Or just read by a lot of people, whichever works I suppose.

Story: 5 Stars
Artwork: 5 Stars
Colors: 5 Stars
Cover: 5 Stars
Unicorns: 1769 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

by: Ida Neverdahl
Publisher: Emet Comics

Get your copy HERE